A Murphy family Christmas
by Albertson
Summary: It's the festive season at the Murphy household, and everyone is getting in on the holiday cheer. For two of the kids, a little more than the Christmas spirit will be in the air. What will blossom between the son of Milo Murphy and the daughter of Zack Underwood? Re-written for personal reasons.


**A Murphy family Christmas**

It was a hectic time at Murphy Manor, where Milo and Amanda Murphy, and their two kids, Daniel and Kathy Murphy, resided. When the holiday season came around, the Murphy, Underwood, Miller, Johnson, Flynn, and Fletcher families each took turns hosting the big Christmas dinner and party. This year, it was the Murphys' turn to host. Amanda and Daniel were as busy as ever with the decorations, while Milo and Kathy were keeping an eye on the Christmas turkeys in the oven, having gotten more than one turkey due to hosting a large number of people.

"What do you think, Kathy? Apple or cranberry sauce?" Milo queried.

"Go with both. You never know when Isaac gets another one of his cravings, so it's best to be prepared," Kathy replied.

"Good idea. I still don't know how Daniel keeps him in check," Milo acknowledged.

"Probably by reminding him what happened during that one Thanksgiving dinner," Kathy guessed. Isaac, the eldest son of Phineas and Isabella Flynn, had a bad habit of over-indulging at these get-togethers. Last Thanksgiving, he bragged about being able to eat an entire turkey in one serving. Safe to say, he missed dessert and an entire week off school. Isabella was incensed, while Maria, Florence and Andrew, Isaac's siblings, just laughed.

"That was certainly eventful," Milo recalled. Their attention then turned to the rest of the dinner preparations. The centrepiece, lovingly hand-crafted by Kathy herself, was all ready to display. She had decided on something simple, an homage to all six families in a recreation of Phineas and Ferb's old childhood back yard.

"Was it really necessary to add that, though?" Milo asked. He pointed at a specific part of the centrepiece which had Daniel and Sabrina standing under mistletoe hanging from a tree branch. Milo also noted that both Daniel and Sabrina Underwood, Zack and Melissa's daughter, had their lips locked together.

"Oh, come on, Dad. You and I both know they like each other, they're just too scared to admit it," Kathy responded. Milo sighed.

"Kathy, shipping Doctor Zone characters is one thing. Shipping your own brother is quite another. Still, it is cute, though," Milo said amusingly.

"If all else fails, I know where Mum put the mistletoe this year," Kathy resolved. Milo couldn't help but laugh.

"Who else is involved in this little scheme to get your brother a girlfriend?" Milo probed.

"Oh, just me, and Isaac, and Ash," Kathy answered bashfully. Ash, short for Ashley, was Zack and Melissa's eldest daughter.

"Lord, help my son," Milo remarked to himself.

"Be thankful I didn't go with my first choice of romantic partner for Daniel," Kathy replied, hearing her dad's mumblings.

"Oh, really, who was your first choice?" Milo queried, half fearful of the answer his daughter would give.

"That's my secret," Kathy teased. Now Milo was really scared. He made a mental note to have a good, long talk with Kathy about meddling in her brother's love life, and the consequences it may have. Regardless, the two eventually got the table prepared. Elsewhere, Amanda and Daniel were putting the final touches on the décor of the house. It was a Murphy family tradition to save the decorations until Christmas Day, to make sure that Murphy Manor looked festive on the big day. After all, Murphy's Law was unpredictable, and Amanda and Daniel did not want their hard work wasted.

"How are you coming with the tree, Daniel?" Amanda asked.

"Almost done. Just need to put the angel on top and to keep it away from the ceiling fans," Daniel replied.

"Do not worry, I have also kept the wreathes away from the fireplace, made sure the stockings are non-flammable, and the tinsel is at least ten feet away from any electrical sockets," Amanda assured. At that point, Daniel had just put the angel topper on the tree, nice and securely.

"Well, that's the inside of the house done, what about the outside?" Daniel queried.

"Come and see for yourself," Amanda invited Daniel to see the outdoor decorations Amanda had done. After wrapping up warmly, Daniel joined his mother in the front yard. Amanda flipped a switch and on came the lights. It was a wonder to behold. The neon image of Santa's sleigh pulled along by reindeer in multiple colours was a sight Daniel never got tired of, even if he and Kathy stopped believing in Santa Claus years back. Candy canes were also placed in the front yard, and Amanda also went to the extra effort of lining the edges of the house with holly leaves. Hearing the wonderment, Milo and Kathy joined them outside. Both had also admired Amanda's and Daniel's handiwork.

"You've outdone yourself this time," Milo complimented, wrapping his arm around Amanda's shoulders.

"Well, it was a team effort," Amanda replied, looking at Daniel, who smiled at a job well done.

"This will totally beat the Underwood's Christmas party," Kathy boasted.

"Now, now, it's not a competition, Kathy," Milo responded. Amanda, however, was on Kathy's side.

"Speak for yourself, I'm in it to win," Amanda said with determination. The family all laughed.

"What will the others think of this?" Daniel wondered.

"Ask them yourself, they're here," Kathy observed. One by one, cars pulled up on the driveway, containing Milo and Amanda's parents, the Flynns, Fletchers, Underwoods, Johnsons, and Millers. The Flynn family consisted of Phineas and Isabella Flynn, along with their four kids Isaac, Daniel's best friend, Andrew, and the two twin girls Maria and Florence. The Johnsons contained Candace and Jeremy Johnson, as well as their kids, Xavier, Fred, and Amanda, not to be confused with Amanda Murphy. The Fletchers consisted of Ferb and Vanessa Fletcher, Theresa, their daughter, and Winston, their son, as well as their grandfather, Heinz Doofenshmirtz.

The Millers consisted of Shane and Mark Miller, along with their adopted son Callum. He was roughly the same age as Daniel and Isaac and even in a few of their classes at school. The showman of the group, Daniel and Isaac secretly envied Callum. In their eyes, having one dad was cool, having two made him coolness incarnate. Then, the Underwoods, containing Zack and Melissa Underwood, along with their kids Ashley, Sabrina, and Curtis, joined the group. The car containing Milo's sister Sara, her husband Neil, and their young son Tristan came next. Tristan was just as big a Doctor Zone fan as his mother, uncle Milo, and cousin Kathy. At this time, they would gather together and watch the holiday special after dinner. Lastly, one car containing Linda and Lawrence Flynn-Fletcher arrived, as well as others containing Zack and Melissa's parents, and Shane and Mark's parents. Even Cavendish and Dakota showed up.

"Sorry, we're late. You've seen what it's like out there. Had to wait on Phineas and Ferb's road defroster before we could safely drive here," Melissa explained.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for that, you could ice skate here," Zack confirmed.

"Although, that does sound fun. We'll have to make a note of that for next year," Phineas mused.

"Oh, thanks a lot, Zack," Candace remarked.

"Come on, dear sister. We would've done it eventually," Ferb observed.

"Yes. Yes, you would," Isabella confirmed, snuggling up to Phineas as she said so, her mind racing with thoughts of her and Phineas ice skating on the roads of Danville together. As everyone made their way inside, mostly because they didn't want to end up as human ice sculptures in the freezing temperatures, the kids all took this moment to catch up before dinner was ready.

"Well, this is quite a turnout. Your dad really does pull out all the stops," Isaac observed.

"Life here at Murphy Manor never gets boring. Just last week we had to shovel snow out of one of the guest rooms when the roof gave way," Daniel recounted.

"Was it true the pool also froze over? Talk about dual purpose, you have a pool in the summer and an ice rink in the winter. You should sell tickets," Isaac suggested. Daniel chuckled at this.

"No thanks. We're not in the business of opening our home to complete strangers. They're not insured under our home's policy," Daniel dismissed.

"Nevertheless, it's an ideal place to bring a date. Speaking of which," Isaac replied. He just saw Kathy talking with Ash about something or other and decided to make his move. "Do you know where your Mum put the mistletoe?" Isaac inquired. Daniel sighed heavily.

"Not this again. Look, she said she's not interested a thousand times. Move on," Daniel urged.

"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. You've got to be persistent. That's how you get girls to notice you. Although, from what I hear, you're not doing too bad yourself," Isaac noted. Daniel blushed bright red at this insinuation.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

"Kathy tells me Sabrina has had her eye on you for quite some time. Turned on the old Murphy charm, did you?" Isaac teased.

"That's where you're getting this from? Look, if I were interested in Sabrina, and I'm not saying I am, we're just friends. Going out could ruin that," Daniel cautioned.

"If you want the girl, you have to be willing to take risks. Trust me, the reward is well worth it," Isaac advised.

"Yeah, and how many girlfriends have you had?" Daniel asked rhetorically.

"Not the point. Like I said, risk and persistence, that's how you land a date. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to turn on the Flynn family charm," Isaac concluded. He walked over to Ash and began putting on the moves, to which Ash had shot him down, again. It was at that moment Maria decided to pull Isaac away from Ash by the ear.

"Yeah, take the risk to persistently make yourself look like a fool," Daniel muttered under his breath. Elsewhere in the house, other kids were talking about a variety of topics. Kathy was engaged in her yearly Doctor Zone fan discussions with Tristan, Florence was busy getting advice from Ash about keeping Maria in check, and Curtis and Andrew, being natural introverts, were discussing the latest books that Curtis had read. The adults, too, were engrossed in their own discussions. Phineas and Doofenshmirtz were comparing various invention stories, much to the chagrin of Isabella and Vanessa respectively, Jeremy was telling Zack and Melissa how much Amanda Johnson wanted to be on their talent show, and Linda and Lawrence were admiring the huge, extended family that Phineas and Ferb have made for themselves.

"Dinner will be ready in a half-hour, everybody," Milo called out. Everyone salivated at this thought. Milo was almost as well-known for his culinary creativity as he was for his curse. It was at that moment that Milo himself was thankful to everyone for chipping in to help. Sure, Milo was loaded, but even he couldn't afford to feed all these people. Daniel had turned around to find Sabrina standing by herself in the living room. Even though he thought Isaac was crazy to think a romance would blossom between the two, Daniel had to admit that he was right on one count. Daniel did develop a strong attachment to Sabrina. Ever since they started high school together a few months back, Daniel had started seeing her differently. Whereas before, he relished the time they spent together, with her playing various instruments, writing her songs and listening to all kinds of tunes together, now he had butterflies in his stomach whenever he saw her.

"You know, she's going to think you're a freak if you keep standing there staring at her," Isaac remarked.

"You know what I wish? For things to go back to the way they were, before I…." Daniel pined.

"…..before you developed a crush on her, right? Dad always told me puberty was a remorseless monster, but I never quite believed it. Now I do. Believe me, it's better for both of you if you rip off this band-aid now," Isaac pressed.

"But this could ruin everything we have now," Daniel countered.

"Look, if Sabrina was really your friend, she'd understand and help you, not turn you away. What do you have to lose?" Isaac argued. Daniel sighed in defeat.

"Alright. Please make sure we're not disturbed," Daniel requested.

"You got it, buddy," Isaac complied, and he, Kathy, and Ash closed the door to the living room and stood guard. Daniel approached Sabrina, nervous at the thought of what he was going to say, and dreading how it may change their dynamic forever.

"Hi, Daniel. Ash told me she wanted to give me her Christmas present here and that we should be alone. I don't know when she's coming, though," Sabrina explained. Daniel guessed that Ash lied to get Sabrina in here. No doubt Isaac got her involved in this matchmaking scheme.

"Yeah, about that. I think I last saw her with Candace. She was giving Ash pointers about a career in law enforcement," Daniel replied.

"Oh, well, it's great you're here. I was hoping we could talk. It's been too long since we've had some one-on-one time. I've missed it," Sabrina said.

"Me too. I mean, the others are lots of fun to hang out with, but I like it better when we're alone," Daniel agreed. The two shared an awkward silence before Sabrina was the first to say something.

"Is everything alright? You seem pretty nervous, and your eyes are doing that thing they do after you and Isaac have done something really stupid," Sabrina observed.

"Am I that obvious?" Daniel asked while chuckling.

"We've been friends since we were kids. I've learned to read you like one of Curt's books, and I'd be lying if I wasn't feeling the same," Sabrina answered.

"What, cool, calm, and collected Sabrina is nervous? Now I really have seen everything," Daniel remarked.

"Oh, shut up, you," Sabrina shot back playfully. The two laughed together until Sabrina looked up at the ceiling fan. What she saw caught both her and Daniel off-guard. "Is that what I think it is?" Sabrina probed.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Daniel responded. They looked up to see that they were standing under a tuft of mistletoe. "You wanted to know what was going on with me. I'll show you," Daniel added. He then took Sabrina's cheeks into his hands and pulled her face towards his, then he planted a kiss on Sabrina's lips. Sabrina just stood there, dumbfounded. True, it was tradition, but something told her it was more than that. Something in the way Daniel kissed her told her that he had been wanting to do that for a long time.

"How long?" was all Sabrina could bring herself to say at that point.

"I've had it for a while, now," Daniel confessed. Sabrina was still processing what she had learned, that her best friend since childhood had developed romantic feelings for her. This was new ground for Sabrina. She had never dated anyone before, much less someone she considered a very close friend. Her mind was struggling to come up with an appropriate response. When she could finally bring herself to speak again, she spoke from the heart.

"Thing is, Daniel, we've been friends for years. I wouldn't want…" Sabrina tried to complete her sentence, but could not find the words. Daniel only nodded in response. "You know, this could…." Again, Sabrina struggled for words. After thinking about it for a good few seconds, she decided to respond the only way she knew how. "Oh, just come here, you," Sabrina urged. She and Daniel pulled each other into a truly passionate kiss that sealed their new-found romance. The loving embrace was a long time coming, for both parties involved. Both Daniel and Sabrina couldn't care less about the potential consequences and dangers of dating your best friend, not when it felt so right. Eventually, they did have to come back for air, but what happened next truly surprised them. They were alerted to the sound of someone's throat clearing. It was Isaac, and he was not alone. It seems their encounter was met with an audience.

"Reminds me of the time we got caught under the mistletoe," Isabella reminisced.

"Which time?" Phineas asked.

"The one where a 'mysterious green ray' poofed a tuft on the ceiling above us when we were kids," Isabella reminded. Phineas then looked in Doofenshmirtz's direction.

"Yeah, thanks for that, Doof," Phineas acknowledged.

"What, random fire modes and self-destruct buttons were staples of my old inators. To not have them would make the inators, you know, incomplete," Doofenshmirtz countered.

"You mean, working," Vanessa sassed.

"Hey, inventing takes a lot of trial and error," Doofenshmirtz replied.

"Haven't you people got anything better to do?" Daniel inquired.

"No, not really," everyone said. Milo then broke up the makeshift gathering by announcing that dinner was ready and that everyone should take their seats. Zack, however, put a hand on Daniel's shoulder to stop him for a brief moment.

"Now, Daniel, I know you're a good boy and all, but hurt Sabrina in any way and I will end you in ways you can't imagine," Zack promised, earning him a stern look from Melissa. "What, I have to give the 'protective dad' speech for my daughter. It's an unwritten rule," Zack added. Melissa sighed and facepalmed. Everyone then took their seats at the dinner table and the food was served up. There was plenty to go around. Keen to avoid another Thanksgiving incident, Isaac only took what he could reasonably eat, though he still took a lot. Daniel and Sabrina took seats next to each other, but before anyone started eating, Milo got up and tapped his glass with a spoon, indicating that he wanted to give a speech.

"I wanted to thank everyone for being here, and for chipping in with this feast. The grocery store could not believe it when I bought all this stuff. Either that or they were in mortal terror because I happened to be in the building. Anyway, when I think of Christmas, I also think of family. True, not all of us are related, or in the case of a couple of us, in the same time zone, but regardless of where and when we are, this is still my family, even those that couldn't be here tonight. I consider myself super lucky to have you all in my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. To family," Milo proposed the toast after his speech.

"To family," everyone raised their glasses and finally began eating, much to Isaac and Dakota's delight. As Milo watched the scene unfold in front of him, he thought of those that couldn't be here with him. The Van Stomms, Tjinders and Hiranos all elected to spend their Christmas with their own families. Despite Milo's insistence that they could come to Murphy Manor, they all said that the house was big, but not that big. But they weren't the only ones Milo wished were here. His very distant friends too, the Pines Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica. The Butterflies Star and Marco. He considered them family as well. Time was, Milo was lucky to consider even having one close friend in Melissa. Now, he had a whole dining room of them and beyond. He truly felt like the happiest man in the world right now.

After everyone had finished eating, the Christmas party began. Sara, Neil, and Tristan went into the living room to watch the Christmas special of Doctor Zone with Milo and Kathy, as per their tradition. Sara had noticed something on the end table that caught her eye.

"Oh, that's my Doctor Zone fan art portfolio. You can look at it if you want, Aunt Sara. I'll just go get into my costume," Kathy said and went to her room to change.

"That's my daughter, quite the artist," Milo stated with a hint of pride. Sara started looking through the sketchbook but immediately could tell that something was off. Instead of the Doctor Zone art, all she could find were pictures of Daniel. As she flicked through, she eventually found pictures of Isaac. Her eyes shot wide open when she found pictures of Isaac and Daniel together.

"Oh, my," Sara remarked. She was looking at pictures of Isaac and Daniel, that her niece drew, in scenes that could be interpreted as intimate, almost loving. Things really came to a head when she stumbled upon a picture of them in the pool together. Eager to see what the fuss was about, Isaac, Daniel, and Sabrina were looking at the pictures. Isaac and Daniel were lost for words, whereas Sabrina was just giggling uncontrollably.

"Guess now we know who Kathy's first choice of romantic partners for Daniel was," Milo said with a hint of disbelief. When Kathy came back downstairs in her Doctor Zone costume, she immediately realised her mistake. She had made a lot of portfolios of different kinds of artwork and clocked on that Sara found the one she liked to keep hidden away. Sara then turned to Kathy.

"You drew yaoi art of your brother and Isaac?" Sara asked. All Kathy could do was give an embarrassed grin.

Author's note: Happy Holidays, everybody. I hope you enjoy this little bit of fluff for the festive season. There are several reasons behind this piece. One, it is a somewhat early Christmas present for Angelwings2002, a regular reviewer on , whose fangirl-isms never cease to make me smile. I hope you enjoy this gift. Sorry, I can't wrap it up and put a pretty little bow on it. Two, I wanted to write something like this, as it is what I enjoy writing most. I think it would be best if we forgot about the battles with Bill or dealing with a cleaved dimension for just one day to have some family fun, while we can. Also, I think I should tell you that I only started planning this a week after my latest submission a few weeks ago, and by the time I was settled on an outline ready to write down, it was the week that Rise of Skywalker was out in theatres and I avoided the web like a plague to keep from getting spoiled, so apologies if this seemed rushed. Finally, I should point out that, in regards to the end scene, I assure everybody that Kathy did not draw anything considered 'risque'. She's not that kind of artist, although she does experiment with different styles of art, so drawing yaoi wouldn't be something she'd be averse to. Plus, I thought it would be funny. Finally, this will also be my latest submission for my #JusticeforMilo movement, aimed at getting us the season 3 and 4 that the show deserves. The focus of the story was on Daniel and Sabrina's blossoming romance and Milo's house party. I'll be giving my disclaimers in a list again since I am using my own OC's.

Daniel and Kathy Murphy; Ashley, Sabrina and Curtis Underwood; Sara's son Tristan; Isaac, Florence, Maria, and Andrew Flynn, Theresa and Winston Fletcher, and Shane, Mark and Callum Miller belong to me.

Everything else belongs to Dan, Swampy, and Disney. Enjoy


End file.
